A lazy bum transmigrates and marries a eunuch – it's awesome!

Chapter 106 Past Events - Feud

Jiang Xinyu was completely bewildered when she heard that someone from the Marquis of Chengyi's residence had come to deliver the invitation.

It was only after Madam Wang reminded her that she realized this so-called Marquis of Chengyi's mansion was related to the Jiang family.

The second wife of the Marquis of Chengyi was his cousin from the Jianghuai family; their relationship was neither too close nor too distant.

That lady was very arrogant, and it was only after Jiang Huai was promoted to the fourth rank that the two families started to have more contact.

Upon hearing which family it was, Chunxing immediately looked indignant.

"Has the young lady forgotten?"

Three years ago, when his second daughter got married, you went with your husband and Aunt Liu to the wedding.

The second young lady had ill intentions and led you to a secluded place where you were almost taken advantage of by her foolish son. It was only thanks to Prince Zhao's passing by that you were rescued.

That was the first time Prince Zhao had spoken to you and reprimanded the Second Miss.

Aunt Liu, fearing to offend the Earl's family, suppressed the matter, saying it was just children playing around. You were dissatisfied and went to the master for judgment, but you were punished.

Since then, you've rarely gone out to visit others.

Upon hearing this, Madam Wang looked heartbroken and cursed Jiang Huai through gritted teeth, saying he was unworthy of being a father.

Jiang Xinyu didn't seem to care much. She dug out this memory from some obscure corner and gave a cold smile.

"My father was a good father, but he wasn't my father. I'm afraid they were already planning to substitute one person for another back then."

Such a grand scheme was not something Jiang Wanqiu would have dared to plan at the time; it was most likely something that Liu Jianghuai and that aunt had discussed beforehand.

The Earl's wife has lofty ambitions and wants to marry her foolish son to a respectable daughter of an official, while Jiang Huai wants the Earl's mansion's support and also wants to withhold my dowry.

The two sides hit it off immediately and set a trap together. If it succeeded, they could use the excuse that I had lost my innocence to make Jiang Wanqiu marry into the Ningguo Duke's mansion in my place.

That's a great idea, killing three birds with one stone.

Unfortunately, they underestimated the extent of Zhao Chengye's greed.

That guy just doesn't like me, not my dowry. How could I let them have their way so easily?

That wasn't a hero rescuing a damsel in distress; he was rescuing a goose that was about to lay golden eggs.

I bet the Ningguo Duke's mansion and Jiang Huai had a falling out after that incident. In the end, both families compromised and reached an agreement that Jiang Wanqiu would marry me first, then kill me so that Jiang Wanqiu could remarry.

Madam Wang's eyes welled up with tears as she looked at her niece's insightful perspective.

"Yu'er has suffered. It's all because our Qian family is useless and couldn't protect you and your daughter."

Jiang Xinyu waved her hand dismissively, "It's nothing serious, I was just hugged by an idiot. I even slapped him in the face."

Besides, that accident wasn't all bad; at least it alerted the Ningguo Duke's Mansion, prompting them to warn Jiang Huai.

Otherwise, it's uncertain whether I'll be able to get married smoothly.

It's also because Liu and Jianghuai were too greedy; they always wanted to squeeze every last drop of my remaining value before they were satisfied.

I couldn't bear to part with the promises made by the Earl's Mansion, nor with my mother's vast dowry, nor with Zhao Chengye, my ideal son-in-law.

The result was that delays led to unforeseen circumstances, giving me a chance to escape, but I ended up with nothing.

"Aunt, believe it or not, Liu is absolutely regretting it to the core, and Jiang Wanqiu has probably cried countless times in the middle of the night."

Madam Wang was somewhat exasperated by her niece's complete indifference.

"How can you still laugh? They're in such a sorry state now. Does that mean all the suffering you endured before was for nothing?"

Jiang Xinyu shrugged. "How could that be? Before, we had no choice but to bow our heads when we were under someone's roof. Now that I've escaped, how could I let them off so easily?"

But don't rush, it's only painful to be cut with a knife when stewing meat. They've tormented me for over a decade, so I have to slowly pay them back, don't I?

Aunt, you really don't need to pay too much attention to them; they're just two greedy fools.

I, a little girl held in the palm of your hand, couldn't even cook properly, so how could you expect them to escape from my grasp?

If I were to do this job, I guarantee I'd do it better than them.

There's no need for such trouble. Just create some accidents during a family outing or when going to offer incense and pray, and then arrange for a poor scholar from a declining clan to play the hero and save the damsel in distress.

For sacrificing his reputation to marry into the Duke's family and instead marrying his eldest daughter to a poor scholar, everyone would praise Lord Jiang for his noble character and the Jiang family's upright traditions.

When the Jiang family's family traditions are praised, Jiang Wanqiu's marriage will be of a higher standard, and there may be better options than the Duke of Ningguo's mansion.

As for me and that poor scholar...

Without power, without connections, and without anyone to back you up, after getting married, wouldn't Jiang Huai be able to do whatever he wants with you?

It would be too conspicuous for us to die suddenly. Why not just leave us on the estate and have someone guard us?

All the servants around me were sold into servitude by the Jiang family, and they could use my dowry however they wanted.

In ten or eight years, I guess no one will mention me anymore.

No need for any special accidents; a bucket of cold water poured on you in the dead of winter will cure any cold.

"It'll be done without anyone noticing; even if someone reports it, the final conclusion will just be that he died of illness."

Everyone was stunned after hearing Jiang Xinyu's words. Madam Wang was so frightened by the possibility that her hair stood on end and she kept chanting "Amitabha" in her heart, marveling at how lucky Yu'er was.

Jiang Xinyu smiled helplessly, and was about to comfort her aunt when she heard a faint voice coming from the doorway.

"Madam is ruthless enough. The position of Director of the Eastern Depot should rightfully be given to you."

As they were talking, Xiao Yuan walked in with a sullen face, looking as if someone owed him 100,000 taels of silver.

Jiang Xinyu showed no embarrassment at being caught in her true nature by her husband, and instead smiled charmingly and teased him.

"Why are you back at this hour? The court is paying you a salary, you should at least be more dedicated."

Did he skip work or get fired?

Despite Xiao Yuan's displeased expression, he still remembered to bow to Madam Wang, who was immediately flattered. Jiang Xinyu, on the other hand, gave him a flirtatious wink.

Xiao Yuan originally came back today for other reasons, but now none of that matters.

The matter of Chengyi Bo's mentally challenged son was not widely known at the time, and only the two families knew about it, so it was not in Xiao Yuan's previous investigation of Jiang Xinyu.

Now that I've suddenly heard this, I feel anxious, angry, and heartbroken all at once, so I just want to ransack the house to calm down.

Seeing his wife teasing him, Xiao Yuan forced a smile.

"I'm just back to pick up some things and I'll be leaving now."

Did someone send you a message?

You've been cooped up at home for so many days, it'd be good for you to go out and have some fun.

Jiang Xinyu wasn't really interested at first, but when Xiao Yuan asked her to go, she raised an eyebrow and beckoned to her maid to call in the old woman from the Chengyi Earl's family.

The two old women had been waiting for a long time and were already full of resentment. As they walked in, they rolled their eyes so hard they almost reached the sky, and cursed the Jiang family's little brat for being so pretentious.

If it weren't for someone interfering, this little bitch would have already married the mentally challenged Third Young Master. Now, the Third Young Mistress should be living her life.

She's just married to a eunuch who has some power and is acting all high and mighty. She's clearly from a humble family, doesn't know any manners, and can't be presented in a respectable manner.

It's no wonder the two old women looked down on Jiang Xinyu.

The Jiang family's groveling attitude towards Madam Jiang was simply too unsightly. They had seen it all before, so naturally they had no respect for daughters from the Jiang family.

They never expected that the living devil would be at home. When they saw the cold look in Xiao's eyes, the two old women were so frightened that they knelt down with a thud.

I completely forgot what I wanted to say, and my hand holding the post was trembling.

Xiao Yuan snorted coldly, and Xiao Douzi quickly snatched the invitation from an old woman and handed it over.

Supervisor Xiao glanced at the document and asked, "Why was only the madam invited the day after tomorrow?"

"Does the Earl of Chengyi think that I, the Grand Eunuch, am not qualified?"

The two old women were nearly scared to death. One of them, the slightly braver one, quickly explained.

"No... I wouldn't dare, my master is too busy with official duties to disturb you."

The old lady didn't plan on having a big celebration this year; it was just a lively affair with relatives and friends.

"If Your Excellency could come, we would be more than happy to have you; it would be an honor to have you here...a most welcome indeed."

Xiao Yuan sneered, "Alright, if I have time that day, I, the Grand Eunuch, will also come and have a cup of birthday wine."